Blockchain Academy Launched By Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance

The Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF) is launching a Blockchain Academy that will offer professional qualification programs, masterclasses and workshops.

Established in the Kingdom of Bahrain in 1981, BIBF covers a wide spectrum of subject matter, with over 300 different courses offered to the financial and corporate market. These include tailor-made training solutions based on organizational requirements, specialized programs taught by market specialists, and professional qualifications and degree programs in partnership with major international organizations. Since its inception, BIBF has grown from training 450 applicants a year primarily within the banking industry, to 20,000 drawing participants from all sectors of the economy.

The BIBF claims that the Blockchain Academy, developed in collaboration with Dubai-based training provider myLearning Key, is the Kingdom of Bahrain’s first blockchain professional qualification program offering. It aims to bring practitioners up to speed with industry requirements while forming the global standards in the blockchain industry.

On January 6, 2019, the academy will be launching a five-day professional qualification program to prepare participants to earn the international qualification of Certified Blockchain Professional C|BP, which provides a 100% hands-on thorough overview of blockchain technology and its implementation in the real world. The course comprises of three competency areas in blockchain – development, implementation, and strategy.

Dr. Ahmed Al Shaikh, director of the BIBF, said that in alignment with the institute’s direction to position Bahrain as the IT Hub for training in the region and to adapt to market requirements, the BIBF continues to introduce new programs to develop the skills and knowledge of the Kingdom’s human capital.

“As we live in the era of digital innovation and technological advancements today, we are pleased to collaborate with myLearning Key and the IIB Council to introduce the first Blockchain Professional Qualification to support the growing demand for skilled Blockchain professionals,” Al Shaikh said.

BIBF’s Blockchain Academy will also offer a series of masterclasses to enable IT professionals and business professionals from various levels to gain the required knowledge and potential effective applications of blockchain in their organizations.

In September of this year, Abdulhussain Mirza, Bahrain’s Minister of Electricity and Water Affairs, said that blockchain technology is one of the most important advancements in recent years and Bahraini talents must familiarize themselves with it and companies must take advantage of it.

“Technologies such as blockchain take us a huge step forward in finding a secure way to facilitate transactions,” Mirza said at the time. “This is the kind of initiative that we would like Bahraini companies to have so that innovation can arise among the great minds of this community. Cyber-security is an essential part of our lives because most of our daily lives involve the use of technology in one way or another.”